Port Morsby Japanese aerial attack April 24, 1942 ...

[Mark Allen M]

I've been receiving several PM's from a few WIX members over the past months (who's opinions mean something) who state it's not about me and how I feel about internet forums, but about helping to save these old photos and help remember the vets. I guess I agree. So whenever I find something that may interest those of you who care about this stuff, then I find it an obligation to post them here. I may not know all there is to know about them, but many of you do and it's fascinating to read your posts. So I'll take the heat from those who feel a need to b*tch from time to time about copyright nonsense etc. But It's worth it to help remember who really matter the most. The vets and their families.

I feel it's extremely important not to allow this old stuff to fade away and disappear. It's getting lost more daily and when some of these old photos show up on ebay or elsewhere, I feel it necessary to post them for all to see and remember. WIX seems the best place for me to do that. Lots of very bright folks who hang out here and who know their history get a chance to see them, comment about them and perhaps bid on them as well with the sellers. I've been snatching up what I can as well on some of these ebay listings. Bottom line is all of us who care about this history not fading away have an obligation to do what we can to help prevent it. I know that is happening very admirably by many of you and I for one thank you kindly. I'm sure the ebay sellers don't mind the free advertising here either.

Another interesting ebay listing:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odkw=&_ ... y&_sacat=0

PHOTOS: USAAF B-17's, B-24's & B-26's at Port Morsby, New Guinea damaged & destroyed by Japanese aerial attacks on April 24, 1942 & July 4, 1942. Some photos were taken by a B-26 Marauder tail gunner who was based at Port Morsby, NG. (Also states a June 6, 1942 attack)
A bit below on B-17E 41-2641
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-17/41-2641.html


SOURCE: From the archives of the World War History & Art Museum (WWHAM) in Alliance, Ohio.

I usually try to clean them up a bit, but these I feel should stay the way they were listed on ebay.






































US Army & USAAF KIA CEMETERY in NEW GUINEA

Last edited by Mark Allen M on Wed Oct 07, 2015 2:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Mark Allen M]

Joe Baugher lists:

Martin B-26 Marauder 40-1497 (22nd BG, 408th BS, "Tailspin Tommy") damaged on ground at Port Moresby by bombs and strafing Jul 3, 1942.
(photo of this plane above)

Martin B-26 Marauder 40-1429 (22nd BG, 19th BS) destroyed on ground during enemy air attack at Port Moresby Apr 24, 1942.

Martin B-26 Marauder 40-1430 (22nd BG) scrapped at Brisbane Jan 1944
(photo of this plane above)

I'm assuming this is Port Morsby in the video?
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video ... /502852551

[Taigh Ramey]

Great stuff Mark. I'm so glad you are still posting.

Taigh

[wendovertom]

Thanks Mark! I am always amazed at how completely aircraft burn - the B-17 in the first few is nothing but the engines and a small bit of tail. Also, what is a "daisy cutter"? I know what a Vietnam era 'daisy cutter' is but I am wondering about this situation.

Tom P.

[shrike]

Thanks Mark! I am always amazed at how completely aircraft burn - the B-17 in the first few is nothing but the engines and a small bit of tail. Also, what is a "daisy cutter"? I know what a Vietnam era 'daisy cutter' is but I am wondering about this situation.

Tom P.

In this context a daisy cutter would be a bomb fitted with a stand-off fuse so that the bomb explodes about 2 feet off the ground. This maximizes blast and fragment damage vs conventional fusing which tends to crater.

Fusing options vs targets is one of those fascinating ordnance black arts

[Invader26]

Great pics and thanks for posting..

PS: I'm sure Tom Riley could have the B-17's airborne again a year or so!

[SaxMan]

Great pics. The guys who "held the line" in 1942 were all heroes. America was short on planes, short on men, short on ships...short on everything but courage. Without these guys preventing Japan (and Germany) from delivering a knockout blow, and dishing out some in return, the road to victory would have been that much harder even once America's factories began cranking out all the materials needed, and then some.

[BAJ]

Great pics. The guys who "held the line" in 1942 were all heroes. America was short on planes, short on men, short on ships...short on everything but courage. Without these guys preventing Japan (and Germany) from delivering a knockout blow, and dishing out some in return, the road to victory would have been that much harder even once America's factories began cranking out all the materials needed, and then some.

Thank you that's very to kind of you to highlight the courage of your Australian Allies who were the 1st to actually stop the Japanese anywhere in the Pacific by soundly defeating them at Kokoda and Milne Bay in the bloody New Guinea campaign.

You Americans generously supplied what aircraft we could buy and these operated out of RAAF Base Jackson Field where these photos were taken.

You are good friends.

[43-2195]

Actually, if we're being honest . The B-24 photos are 90th Bomb Group ships at Iron Range, Northern Australia. And all that damage was caused by a B-24 drifting on take off at night and colliding with several other B-24s waiting for their turn to take off.

I admire their courage and am grateful for their sacrifice, but their training and experience level was insufficient.

[Mark Allen M]

The guys who "held the line" in 1942 were ALL heroes. I agree as well.
A video well worth the time to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biDuIzs8CYg


"Milne Bay - The Turning Point" by artist Robert Taylor. RAAF P-40 Kittyhawks of 75 and 76 Squadron after combat over Milne Bay, New Guinea in 1942. Original signed by a group of "heroes" below:

Flight Lieutenant Harry Kerr

Flight Lieutenant Arthur Tucker

Squadron Leader Peter Booth-Jones

Flight Lieutenant Raife Cowan

Group Captain Ross Glassop

Commander Nat Gould

Flight Lieutenant Noel Todd

Squadron Leader Bruce Watson


A P-40 Kittyhawk (75 Squadron I believe) at Milne Bay in September 1942.


Below is a bit of history from the attacks on the dates listed.

April 24, 1942
In the morning, twelve A6M2 Zeros of the Tainan Kokutai attack Port Moresby, six dog fighting with RAAF 75 Squadron P-40 Kittyhawks and six attacking other aircraft and bombers. They claimed nine shot down (five P-40s, one P-39, two B-26s) and damaged a PBY. In fact, they destroyed two B-26s [one is B-26 "Hell's Angel" 40-1448]. Also, PBY A24-5 moored in Fairfax Harbor, and three P-40E Kittyhawks from 75 Squadron were shot down: P-40 A29-43 (Channon, KIA) and P-40E A29-9 (Les Jackson, survived) and P-40E A29-76 (Crawford, survived).

April 25, 1942
Fifteen A6M2 Zeros fly a fighter sweep over Port Moresby. Four strafe 7-Mile Drome. Destroyed on the ground is B-17E 41-2641.

Fortress on Mt. Obree by Bruce Hoy:
"Just after 8.00 am, with 41-2641 still stuck, fifteen Japanese Zero fighter aircrafts arrived over Port Moresby and four descended on 7-Mile drome, quickly setting a Martin B-26 Marauder on fire and seriously damaging another Marauder. 41-2641 appeared to have survived the attack until 10 minutes later, the aircraft suddenly burst into flames and was destroyed. The RAAF's No. 75 Squadron had a flight of four P-40s in the air on combat patrol and they immediately attacked the formation of Zeros, causing damage to three aircraft, and one of the P-40s receiving superficial damage in return."

Last edited by Mark Allen M on Thu Oct 08, 2015 12:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[Mark Allen M]

Actually, if we're being honest . The B-24 photos are 90th Bomb Group ships at Iron Range, Northern Australia. And all that damage was caused by a B-24 drifting on take off at night and colliding with several other B-24s waiting for their turn to take off.

I admire their courage and am grateful for their sacrifice, but their training and experience level was insufficient.

Being 'honest' and giving credit where it was 'earned' and 'due' and/or correctly explaining what we are seeing is the very best we can do these days for all those 'heroes' who served and sacrificed back then. Nothing I love better than to see posters set the record straight on many of these old photos. Far too many times these photos are incorrectly captioned and don't give credit or an honest description/explanation of what actually happened when, where and with whom was involved. I certainly don't have all the answers or proper explanations for many of the photos I find and post and when I caption them I always hope I 'have it right' but I certainly have respect and appreciation for those of you who do have the answers and are willing to share them. Makes it all worth it ... if for no one else but 'them' ...

The truth is far better than some made up war story.

Thanks kindly as always.

[SaxMan]

Thank you that's very to kind of you to highlight the courage of your Australian Allies who were the 1st to actually stop the Japanese anywhere in the Pacific by soundly defeating them at Kokoda and Milne Bay in the bloody New Guinea campaign.

You Americans generously supplied what aircraft we could buy and these operated out of RAAF Base Jackson Field where these photos were taken.

You are good friends.

I am of the belief that the Kokoda Trail battle is probably THE most under-appreciated battle of World War II in terms of its significance. If Kokoda fell, Port Moresby and the surrounding airstrips would have fallen, severing the supply line to Australia, forcing the Allies to run the gauntlet of U-Boats in the Atlantic to get supplies to the Southwest Pacific Theater. It may have not changed the eventual outcome of the war, but it would have made victory more difficult and more costly.

Instead, the Aussies repulsed the Japanese at Kokoda, saving Moresby, preserving the supply line, and it became a base of operations for the leapfrogging up the New Guinea Coast.

[Invader26]

Actually, if we're being honest

These sort of comments are uncalled for. There is absolutely no inference that the postings are "dishonest". Recollections or posted information are based on information to hand or a simple mistake.

Mar does us all a great service by posting interesting stuff here. Correcting politely or adding to the info is the correct thing to do.

Makes me wonder about the poster not Mar.

[43-2195]

Invader26. I live in New Guinea, I own a Curtiss P-40 and I have been researching the 5th US Army Air Force for over 35 years. They have an amazingly rich history, the vast majority of which has never been made easily accessable to the public. The US approach of dramatising events (a la Hollywood) has greatly detracted from the wider history being publicised.
How many books about Bong or Mcguire do we need... What about the US Aviation Engineer who walked into the Watut valley behind Japanese held Lae and surveyed and built Tsili Tsili? Every read his story? Every 5th Fighter Squadron that transitioned onto P-38s in the theatre suffered multiple accidents. Most P-38 Aces of the 5th USAAF suffered at least one aircraft accident (TO, Landing or Taxiing). Where is all that written?
I find the rescent Pearl Harbour Movie, were the hero takes off in a P-40E and lands in a P-40N correctly reflects most american's knowledge of 5th AAF history.

[Rick65]

I blame General Douglas MacArthur for this discussion.
Australians are proud of the efforts of our forces in New Guinea and possibly overly sensitive to the critical Australian contribution being diminished or not recognised.
This is something that the publicity hungry MacArthur was only too keen to do as he was marketing to the US home audience.
There is still resentment that after their early successes experienced and capable Australian forces spent the latter stages of the war in hard, dangerous and unappreciated mopping up operations in areas that were seen as backwaters as they were not critical to the ending of the war.

The second photo in Mark's much appreciated post shows what is probably an RAAF Hudson in the background of a destroyed B-17.